I used to be wary of cauliflower. I think the overall appearance seemed bland and boring so I avoided it. Also, I feel like it is more likely than not to come across cauliflower that is ill-prepared and that doesn’t help the case for cauliflower either. I feel like that could be said for a lot of veggies. However, give cauliflower a chance. I did and now I can’t stop eating it. I’ll roast it in the oven. I’ll blanch it. I’ll cut center cross sections, marinate, and grill it. It really does make a good pseudo mashed potato (especially blended with parmesan and some garlic roasted in olive oil). I’ve even blended it to thicken and enhance a vegetable soup.
One of the bigger local farms around here has had amazing cauliflower the past month. I’ve tried their regular, orange, and purple cauliflower along with their broccoflower. The purple cauliflower and broccoflower are definitley good but they do not have a very distinct flavor. They both taste somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower but they have beautiful color and are a feast for the eyes prepared properly. The orange cauliflower is my favorite. Not only is it interesting to look at, it has a very subtle sweetness that is somewhat similar to the sweetness of a carrot or bell pepper. My favorite way to eat any cauliflower is roasted in the oven with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. When Gar ate the orange cauliflower prepared this way for the first time he said it reminded him of something grilled with a little bit of BBQ sauce. It was not something that had crossed my mind but I could see why he would say that.